Lighthouse Inn Mysteries 4 & 5 Bundle

by Tim Myers

  Blast it all, three guests were coming down the stairs for their breakfasts. Alex couldn’t afford to put them in jeopardy too, but he still had to stall if he could. :

  “It’ll just take a second,” he said as he walked toward his office. Alex kept staring out the window, willing the sheriff’s deputy to come speeding up Point Road.

  There must have been something about his expression because Fiona looked behind her, then said, “You know what? Forget it. You can mail it to me.”

  “I’ll have it ready in a heartbeat,” Alex said. He couldn’t let her go. “Why don’t you come back with me to the office?” That would get her away from his guests, and more importantly, take Elise out of immediate danger.

  “I can’t wait,” Fiona said, then hurried for the door. “Mail it to me.”

  “Wait a second, Blanche.” Alex regretted the ploy of using her real name the second it parted his lips.

  She hesitated, then said, “You’ve lost your mind. I’m getting out of here.” Then she ran out the front door.

  “What was that all about?” Elise asked.

  “Fiona White is Cliff’s ex-wife. She killed him and then stole the Carolina Rhapsody. I just hope she doesn’t get away.”

  Alex said. “Elise, I can’t let her escape. I’m going after her.”

  Alex found Fiona trying to start her car, frustrated by its failure to respond.

  “Having some trouble?” he asked her.

  Fiona replied by jutting a handgun out the window. “Give me the keys to your truck.”

  “You can’t get away. The sheriff knows everything that happened. Give up.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “On second thought, I’ve got a better idea. You’re going to drive me. There’s nothing like a hostage to clear the way.”

  She shoved the gun in Alex’s back after she got out of her car. “Don’t do anything stupid and you won’t get hurt.”

  Alex was heading toward his truck, cursing himself for letting her snare him so easily, when he heard a voice behind him. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go.”

  Skip was standing there in the open, a gun trained on Fiona’s back. As she whirled to face him, Alex dove behind his truck. He heard a pair of shots fired almost at the same time, and looked up quickly, not sure what he was going to find.

  Fiona was on the ground clutching her leg, but she’d managed to hit Skip, as well. Though he stood his ground, there was blood seeping from his shoulder. Alex rushed to him, but he said, “Get her gun. I’m okay.”

  Alex retrieved the weapon. Fiona, or Blanche, as she was properly named, wasn’t a threat to anyone, not with a bullet in her leg.

  Alex raced back to Skip. “I’m going to call an ambulance. I’m glad you were here.”

  “I had to make up for the night before, didn’t I? WhenI heard Thornton got away, I had to believe there was more going on than we knew about.”

  Elise raced over to Alex, and after he assured her that he was unharmed, he asked her to call for an ambulance. Skip was starting to sag, so Alex took the gun from his hand and supported the man with his own weight.

  “It’s a lucky thing her car wouldn’t start,” Alex said. Skip managed a smile. “Luck had nothing to do with it. I pulled off all of her spark plug wires.”

  “How did you know she was dangerous?” Alex asked.

  “Before she came into the inn, I saw her check the gun in her handbag. I would have rushed in if there’d been any trouble inside, but I thought the safest way to play it was to wait out here and see what happened.”

  “I’m glad you were around,” Alex said.

  They heard the ambulance right after hearing the police siren.

  “That’s music to my ears,” Skip said. “All those years on the force and I never even got shot at, then this happens. I think I’ll let Armstrong handle Elkton Falls after all. I’m retiring for good this time.”

  The big man stayed on his feet until the EMS folks made him lie down on the gurney. A second ambulance was called for Blanche Cliff. There was no way they were going to make the ex-cop and the killer ride side by side.

  Alex and Armstrong approached Blanche as she lay onthe ground. Elise joined them a minute later. After the sheriff read Blanche her rights, he said, “You really hold agrudge, don’t you? I can’t believe you waited all that time to kill your ex-husband.”

  “You idiot, you have no idea what happened.”

  “So why don’t you tell me.”

  Blanche said, “It was Cliff’s idea from the start. He was looking for one big score so he could retire in style. I told him he was an idiot for selling that gold mine idea, but he wouldn’t listen to me. That wasn’t going to be enough for him, so he cooked up the robbery, too. I had the fake emerald made, and we were going to swap it out just before Reston Shay came to get it. I was supposed to tap Cliff hard enough to raise a welt, so it would look like he got taken by surprise.”

  “But you decided not to share, so you used the letter opener instead.”

  “He got exactly what he deserved,” Blanche said.

  “So where’s the emerald?” Armstrong asked. “You know we’re going to find it sooner or later.”

  “Good luck. It’s hidden pretty well.”

  Armstrong laughed. “Don’t worry, we’re good at finding things. And if we don’t, I’ve got a feeling there’s an insurance man with a three-million-dollar reason to figure out what you did with it.”

  The second ambulance came and treated the woman’s s leg before loading her in the back bay.

  Armstrong said, “If you don’t mind, I’ll ride along with you’all.”

  After they were gone, Alex said, “It’s hard to believe all this heartache stemmed from one man’s greed.”

  Elise said, “I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but he harvested what he sowed, didn’t he?”

  “Let’s go inside. We’ve got guests expecting us.”

  Elise said, “Before we go in, there’s something we need to talk about.”

  Alex asked, “Is it about us?”

  “It is,” Elise said solemnly. “I’m ready to answer your question.”

  Alex found himself holding his breath in anticipation as he waited for his fate to be decided.

  “Go ahead, I’m ready.”

  Elise said, “Alex, you’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had, and the thought of losing what we have right now is more than I can take.”

  He started to say something, but she held up one hand. “Please, just hear me out.”

  He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

  “I love Hatteras West almost as much as you do, and the thought of being forced to leave because something has broken between us is unbearable. And let’s face it; my track record with relationships isn’t all that sterling. I’m sorry, but I know this is true about me. All the signs point to us staying friends. There’s just too much to risk losing.”

  Alex felt his heart explode in his chest, but he fought to keep from showing his devastation. He knew on one level that what she said was true, all of it; it still didn’t make it any easier to accept.

  Elise took a deep breath, then added, “That said, if you’re willing to risk everything, then so am I.”

  It took him a second to realize that he’d just heard what she said. “Excuse me?”

  She laughed slightly. “I said I’d love to pursue a relationship with you, starting right now.”

  Alex said, “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, Alex, I think we’ve talked this to death. Let’s just take a chance.”

  And then she kissed him.

  And now a look at the brand new Lighthouse Inn Mystery,

  Lighthouse Mystery #6

  KEY TO MURDER

  By

  TIM MYERS

  Key to Murder

  by Tim Myers.

  Copyright © 2010 Tim Myers

  All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book ma
y be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For Patty and Emily

  Chapter 1

  There was a storm brewing at the lighthouse on the edge of the Atlantic, but it wasn’t coming from the sea. Murder was in the air, something that seemed to follow Alex Winston wherever he went. This time though, he was seven hours away from home and nearly everything that was familiar to him.

  Alex didn’t realize it yet, but struggling to solve this murder would change his life forever in a way that he couldn’t begin to fathom.

  And troubling times would lead him to the most desperate act he’d ever committed in his life.

  Chapter 2

  “I can’t believe we’re actually here,” Elise Danton said to Alex Winston as they watched the sun rise out of the Atlantic Ocean through a break in the dunes.

  Alex glanced at Elise as they sat on the back porch of the inn at the Cape Kidd lighthouse on the coast of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was a far cry from their regular place of business; Hatteras West, a replica of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

  “I just hope Harry and Barbara are enjoying our lighthouse half as much. It was a great idea to trade inns for a few weeks,” Alex answered as he reached out to hold Elise’s hand. They’d been dating for nearly a year, and Alex still couldn’t believe his good fortune. From the moment Elise had walked into the inn in Elkton Falls looking for a job, he’s known she was the one for him. Alex had worried that working together at the inn and dating would cause too much strain on their relationship, but they’d managed to balance it all just fine.

  “They must be in heaven in the mountains,” Elise said. “As pretty as this place is, I have to admit that I like ours better.”

  Alex loved how she referred to Hatteras West as theirs. It was true on so many levels. “I know exactly what you mean. Lighthouses look odd without hills around them, don’t they?”

  She laughed, a sound he’d grown to love. “I’ve been trying to put my finger on what’s been so unsettling about the place, but you’re right. Every lighthouse should have mountains.”

  Alex glanced at his watch, and then reluctantly released Elise’s hand. “We’d better get back inside. Mor and Emma are checking out today.”

  “An innkeeper’s life is never idle, is it?” Elise asked. “I’m going to hate to see the two of them go.” Mor Pendleton and his wife, Emma Sturbridge Pendleton, were Alex and Elise’s closest friends. Mor helped run Mor or Les, a fix-it shop in Elkton Falls, and Emma helped out sometimes at the inn when things got particularly hectic. Their friends had taken a few days off to visit the coast, despite Les’s protests, but they were heading back home today.

  As if on cue, the screen door opened. Alex was expecting to see his old friends, but instead, a couple in their late twenties joined them. They were both blond, dressed nicely in slacks and polo shirts, and were a little too pretty for Alex’s taste. The man asked, “Are you open yet?”

  Alex stood, and Elise joined him. “We are. Do you have a reservation?” He knew they didn’t. It was slow season, and there was no one scheduled to visit the inn until the weekend. Harry had told him it was unusual to have drop-in guests this time of year, but it did happen.

  “We were hoping you had room for us,” the man said. “Judging by your parking lot, I’m guessing we were right.”

  “Of course there’s space available,” Elise said smoothly. “Let’s get you checked in.”

  The four of them walked through the narrow hallway out into the main lobby where the front desk was located. Instead of the replica of the Hatteras Lighthouse’s Main Keeper’s Quarters they were used to, the Cape Kidd quarters were a little on the small size. Quaint little guest cottages had been built along the dune in the fifties, and it was a miracle they hadn’t all washed away in one of the storms that occasionally hit the Outer Banks. Harry had told Alex that he was lucky to have an inland lighthouse inn and didn’t have to constantly worry about beach erosion, but Alex had assured him that he had his own problems.

  Alex put the guest ledger out on the counter of the scarred old oak desk. “If you’ll just sign in, we can get you processed.”

  The man looked at him skeptically. “You do have a computer, don’t you? And a way to handle a credit card? I’m afraid I don’t usually carry much cash on me.”

  “Don’t worry, we’re able to accommodate you,” Alex said. “The inn owners just like a personal log.”

  The woman looked surprised. “You two aren’t the owners? I assumed you were a married couple running your own operation.”

  “We run another inn together,” Alex said.

  “But we’re not married,” Elise chimed in.

  “No, of course not. I mean, not of course, but we’re not. We’re dating, though.” Alex couldn’t believe that he still got flustered in these situations. Honestly, he’d thought about asking Elise to marry him more than once, but he didn’t want to risk disturbing the balance they’d found. If he asked, and she said no, he was afraid that would be the end of them. Elise had been engaged before, and it hadn’t turned out well for her.

  The woman smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to touch a nerve. I’m Michelle, and this is Jackson. We’re the Bennings.” She said the last bit with a special trill, and Alex wondered if they were newlyweds.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Elise said.

  Alex nodded. As Jackson slid his credit card across the counter, Alex asked, “May I see your driver’s license?”

  He looked peeved for just a second, but then complied. Alex felt he should explain. “Sorry about that, but the owners asked me to confirm IDs.”

  “That’s fine,” Michelle said. “If you could manage it, we’d like something private.”

  “I could put you in the end unit,” Alex said. “It’s the Seafarer. How long will you be with us here at the Hat…Captain Kidd?”

  “We might be here as long as a week, but let’s handle it a night at a time,” Jackson said. “Is that going to be a problem?”

  “No, but I can offer you a better rate if you stay with us a week.”

  The man looked amused by the offering. “Thanks for offering, but that’s not going to be an issue.”

  Alex opened the top of the desk, showing a modern station complete with computer and printer. He didn’t know who had modified the desk, but he wished he had one himself. After running the card through the reader, a bill printed out and he handed Jackson a copy to sign. That done, Elise handed them a key.

  “Is someone available to get our bags?” Jackson asked.

  “I can take care of it,” Alex replied.

  Michelle smiled at that. “I like that in a man. Is there anything you don’t do around here?”

  “I don’t cook,” he admitted. “Elise is the chef.” He kept the fact that he baked the bread to himself. Somehow it felt as though her were showing off, trying to impress her, and there was only one woman he cared about impressing.

  “Don’t forget, I’m the head of housekeeping, too,” she added with a smile.

  “Excellent,” Michelle said.

  As Alex followed them out to their car, he glanced back at Elise and raised one eyebrow. She shrugged and added a gentle smile before he left. They’d just spoken paragraphs without saying a word.

  Alex was expecting a great deal of luggage when he got to their late model Mercedes, but instead, he found the truck held just two overnight bags. Why did the man need help with these? It wasn’t Alex’s place to question it. He grabbed both bags and walked them to their cottage. When they got there, he asked for th
e key, and then unlocked the door. It was a quaint little space, with a double bed, an easy chair, a small pine dresser, and a tiny bathroom not much bigger than a closet. There were nautical themes present everywhere, from paintings showing ships in storms to a seashell-filled glass lamp on the small nightstand. The bed was covered with a faded yellow spread that looked older than Alex, and the scarred wooden floors had gaps between the boards. A painted cast-iron lighthouse nearly two feet tall sat in the corner, and Alex always smiled when he saw it. It was a replica of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, in a way just like his own was. Harry must have gotten a deal on the pieces; there was one in every cottage.

  “Is this all there is to it?” Jackson asked as he looked around in distaste. “I’m assuming from the exterior that there’s not another room attached.”

  “This is it,” Alex said without apology

  “Don’t you have anything larger?” Jackson asked.

  “Not really,” Alex replied.

  Michelle smiled. “This is fine. It’s rather cozy, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose,” Jackson replied.

  Alex put the luggage on the bed and left the key on the small dresser. “We serve breakfast every morning, and if you’d like to have dinner with us, we need to know in advance. If you’d like, sandwiches are sometimes available for lunch if you feel like having a picnic while you’re staying here with us. I believe Elise said we were having egg salad sandwiches for lunch.”

  “We’d like lunch and dinner, please,” Michelle said.

  “Could we have room service?” Jackson asked, though Alex suspected he already knew the answer.

  “I’m afraid not,” Alex said. “We’re a little short-handed around here this time of year. You can pick up your sandwiches around noon, and dinner is served promptly at six.”